Everyone remembers their first time. They compare it to feeling a kid on Christmas morning, recall their phones exploding with more notifications than humanly possible to respond to. Some need to take a step back in order to fully understand the significance of the moment—when Meghan Markle gave their fashion brand her personal stamp of approval.

Influencer marketing may be powerful, but as these brands can attest: not much compares to when the Duchess of Sussex is photographed wearing one of your pieces, triggering the so-called Meghan Markle Effect. It can shift conversations entirely for those already established brands and can throw a little-known, at-home operation onto a globe stage in an instant.

“In terms of growing our business exponentially, Meghan has enabled us to do this in a very tangible, immediate way,” says James Bartle, founder and CEO of Outland Denim. The Australian brand is on a mission to create responsibly-made denim while supporting ethical work conditions, namely in its facility in Cambodia. Markle wore the label repeatedly during her royal tour of Australia in 2018, and its sales skyrocketed, allowing the under-the-radar business to grow. “You cannot put a price on the brand recognition nor the credibility that the Duchess is able to bestow on a small, socially oriented enterprise such as ours.”

Outland’s success story isn’t unique: Many other designers that the Duchess of Sussex has touched since her public persona shifted from actress to royalty, British Vogue guest editor, curator of her own fashion collection, and pal to Beyoncé can attest to her impact. In their own words, the designers ahead explain exactly what happened when Markle wore their creations.

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